Editing Islamic art (section)

==== Safavids and Qajars ====
The Iranian [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]], a dynasty stretching from 1501 to 1786, is distinguished from the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, and earlier Persian rulers, in part through the Shi'a faith of its shahs, which they succeeded in making the majority denomination in Persia. Ceramic arts are marked by the strong influence of Chinese porcelain, often executed in [[blue and white porcelain|blue and white]]. Architecture flourished, attaining a high point with the building program of [[Abbas I of Persia|Shah Abbas]] in [[Isfahan]], which included numerous gardens, palaces (such as [[Ali Qapu]]), an [[Grand Bazaar, Isfahan|immense bazaar]], and a [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|large imperial mosque]].

The art of manuscript illumination also achieved new heights, in particular in the [[Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp]], an immense copy of [[Ferdowsi]]'s epic poem containing more than 250 paintings. In the 17th century, a new type of painting develops, based around the album ([[muraqqa]]). The albums were the creations of connoisseurs who bound together single sheets containing paintings, drawings, or calligraphy by various artists, sometimes excised from earlier books, and other times created as independent works. The paintings of [[Reza Abbasi]] figure largely in this new art of the book, depicting one or two larger figures, typically idealized beauties in a garden setting, often using the [[grisaille]] techniques previously used for border paintings for the background.

After the fall of the Safavids, the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]], a [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]] tribe established for centuries along the [[Caspian Sea]], assumed power. [[Qajar art]] displays an increasing European influence, as in the large oil paintings portraying the Qajar shahs. Steelwork also assumed a new importance. Like the Ottomans, the Qajar dynasty survived until 1925, a few years after [[World War I]], when they were replaced by the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavis]].